Physico-mechanical and biological evaluation of heparin/VEGF-loaded electrospun polycaprolactone/decellularized rat aorta extracellular matrix for small-diameter vascular grafts

Abstract

Although the continuous development of small-diameter vascular grafts (SDVGs) (D < 5 mm) continues, most vascular grafts are made from synthetic polymers, which lead to serious complications from arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular ischemia. Here, to address these shortcomings, we combine synthetic polymers with natural decellularized small-diameter vessels and loaded with growth factor. We fabricated vascular grafts by electrospinning polycaprolactone (PCL) to decellularized rat aorta matrix (ECM) followed by heparin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) loading. In- vitro studies showed that PCL/ECM/VEGF vascular grafts, showed excellent hemocompatibility and biocompatibility properties. The vascular grafts implanted into the rat aorta revealed that the PCL/ECM/VEGF grafts promotes endothelial cells and smooth-muscle cells infiltration with a rate of FLK-1, ICAM1, and a-SMA distribution higher than that of the PCL and PCL/ECM vascular grafts at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after implantation. The PCL/ECM/VEGF vascular graft should be considered for potential small-diameter vascular grafts in clinical fields.